Yes Dogs can eat corn without cob, But with conditions. Corn is a cereal widely used in different products and dog food, and this cereal is a very cheap source of carbohydrates, but is it advisable to give corn to dogs?
Corn is one of the most used cereals, also in dog food. It is a very economical cereal and a cheap source of carbohydrates. Although dogs can eat corn without any problem, we must avoid feed that contains this cereal in excess.
Can dogs eat corn?
Although dogs are carnivores, they can eat and digest many other foods. Dogs can eat fruits, vegetables, and foods like grains, including corn.
However, whether or not dogs can eat corn depends significantly on how this cereal is served. For example, corn or corn starch is often included in the feed as a thickener, although corn is also a cheap carbohydrate source. Therefore, if we look at the cheap feed, we can see that they include corn, even in excess. It is necessary to flee from canine foods that contain this cereal in quantity, which means that the feed is not very nutritious.
On the other hand, there are many dogs with allergies to cereals. In this case, we must avoid any grain, including corn, from the diet and opt for grain-free feed.
Pros and cons of giving corn to dogs
As discussed, corn is used in some dog food products, most notably corn starch.
Although corn is not dangerous, there is no need to offer this food as there is nothing beneficial for dogs. We can give some grain of sweet corn as a treat, but it is tough for dogs to digest.
Among the cons that have corn we find:
- Carbohydrates: It is only a source of carbohydrates. In the long term, the excess of this cereal can cause obesity and diabetes. In the case of obese dogs, a light feed without grains.
- Allergies: Many dogs have allergies to cereals. This causes skin symptoms and itching.
- Intolerance: raw corn grain is tough to digest. Its excess can cause diarrhea.
- Obstruction: There is another danger in the case of the corn cob. The dog can ingest the entire central part and suffer an obstruction.
How can we offer this corn?
If we want to offer our dog some corn as a reward, we have several options:
Sweet corn: a small amount sporadically does not have to cause harm (as long as there are no allergies).
Corn Cob: we recommend not giving cobs without supervision due to the danger of ingesting the center.
Popcorn: there is special popcorn for dogs without salt, fat, or sugar. Commercial popcorn is high in salt and butter.
As we have mentioned, some feeds include this cereal. We will avoid them as much as possible, especially in excess.
How much corn can a dog eat?
For the most part, it’s okay to include a little corn in your dog’s diet. However, it would help if you fed corn sparingly and did not allow such a treat to do not exceed 10% of your dog’s diet, as with all human foods added to it.
Veterinary recommendation
Our recommendation regarding corn is to avoid it as much as possible. The reasons:
- It does not provide any essential nutrients for them
- Cheap source of carbohydrates (better feed grain-free or with rice)
- Weight gain if you overeat
- They are clogging hazards with cobs
- Allergies or intolerances
